Doxxing / 'Pay or We Leak Your Data'

You're threatened with 'doxxing' — the public posting of your home address, phone, family details, or private data — unless you pay, usually in crypto. The threat may cite real breach data to seem credible. Sometimes it's a genuine threat from someone who scraped public info; often it's an empty mass extortion. Paying does not ensure silence and can mark you as a target. Documenting, locking down your privacy, and reporting are the response.

• A threat to publish your personal info online.
• Cited details from public or breached data.
• A crypto demand to stay quiet.
• A deadline and pressure.

• Extortion to prevent a 'leak' of your data.
• Crypto payment demanded.
• Use of scraped or breached details.
• Threats and urgency.

These are illustrative examples written by ScamSplain, not real messages.

• A crypto payment.
• To exploit privacy fears.
• Repeat leverage.

• Do not pay; document the threat.
• Lock down privacy settings; remove personal info from data-broker sites.
• Consider a credit freeze if financial data is implicated.
• Report the threat.

• 'I Know Your Password' Breach-Data Extortion
• 'Hitman / Someone Paid Me to Hurt You' Threat
• Consumer Ransomware ('Your Files Are Encrypted')